Buddhism: An Awakening

If you’ve really learned how to think, how to pay attention, then it will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, loud, slow, consumer-hell-type situation as not only meaningful but sacred, on fire with the same force that lit the stars — compassion, love, the sub-surface unity of all things.

Major Kira: I'm afraid the Prophets won't forgive me.

Never be nervous when meeting another. Remember that, after all, we are only meeting ourselves.

Cyanide is natural. So is arsenic.

And know this, I cannot love a little, my promise to you is unconditional.

Stop thinking about everything so much, you're breaking your own heart.

By seeing that nothingness is the fundamental reality, you see it’s your reality. Then how can anything contaminate you? All the idea of being scared, and put out, and worries, it’s nothing; it's just a dream. Because your really nothing. But this is most incredible nothing.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.

This is not an answering machine. This is a questioning machine. “Who are you and what do you want?” If you think these are trivial questions, most people go through life without answering either one.

Would I still be accepted within the Buddhist community even though I'm gay?

When you ride in a boat and watch the shore, you might assume that the shore is moving. But when you keep your eyes closely on the boat, you can see that the boat moves. Similarly, if you examine many things with a confused mind, you might suppose that your mind and nature are permanent. But when you practice intimately and return to where you are, it will be clear that there is nothing that has unchanging self.

If you’ve really learned how to think, how to pay attention, then it will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, loud, slow, consumer-hell-type situation as not only meaningful but sacred, on fire with the same force that lit the stars — compassion, love, the sub-surface unity of all things.